Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer graphics and, more specifically, to creating custom ancestors in inheritance-based character generation using morphological attractors.
Description of the Related Art
In inheritance-based character generation, child character models are created by blending morphological features imported from ancestor models. Blending may be performed globally, or in local regions of the character, with the percentage of blending defining a fundamental “DNA” of the new character. The fitting of clothing and accessories (eyes, teeth, wigs . . . ) may also be automatically adjusted based on this “DNA.” The child characters generated by such blending may be full three-dimensional (3D) characters having skeletons, facial expressions, and balanced skin weights, among other things. Techniques which may be used in inheritance-based character generation are disclosed by, e.g., U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0303830 entitled “Automatic Feature Mapping in Inheritance-based Avatar Generation,” U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0316227 entitled “User Defined Characteristics for Inheritance-based Avatar Generation,” U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0309675 entitled “Metadata for Avatar Generation in Virtual Environments,” U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0303829 entitled “Sex Selection in Inheritance-based Avatar Generation,” and U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0309677 entitled “Dynamic User Interface for Inheritance-based Avatar Generation,” which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Inheritance-based character generation techniques typically require ancestor models to have the same meshing so that their morphological features can be blended. Such techniques may further require ancestor models to be sufficiently aligned (e.g., having aligned mouths, eyes, facial expressions, body parts, etc.) so that local blending in definite zones (e.g., body zones, facial zones, arms, legs, hands, feet, etc.) will not create aberrations. In addition, such techniques often require a setup which allows facial expressions, balanced skin weights, clothing, etc. to be adjusted to fit child character models.
Given these limitations, software modeling tools typically provide predefined ancestors having the same meshing, alignment, and setup to users. For example, the publicly available Evolver tool provides a set of realistic virtual human ancestors. At the same time, users are typically unable to add their own ancestor models having different meshing, alignment, and setup for blending. For example, a user may be unable to add, as an ancestor, a cartoonish model with a disproportionately large head where the predefined ancestor models have normal human proportions. The child character models created from available ancestor models are likewise limited, as they can only be created by blending the predefined ancestors.